The perfect property is gated and guarded, near work, and has good neighbours

Least important factors were identity of developer and availability of broadband internet

By Melisa Ng | melisang@starmedia.my

According to a UK survey, the perfect property is two miles from a supermarket, ten miles from the coast and within walking distance of a pub where the landlord knows your name. How about for Malaysians? StarProperty.my recently conducted a survey to find out their top criteria when it came to choosing a property.

We gave respondents 16 criteria to rank in terms of importance. These included proximity to food and beverage options, parks, markets, good schools, family, institutions, leisure facilities, work, public transport and malls, being gated and guarded, as well as having a garden, at least two parking spaces and good neighbours.

A gated and guarded neighbourhood is important when defining the perfect property.

Criterion 1: Gated and guarded

Top on the list for our Malaysian respondents was being in a gated and guarded community. Nearly half the respondents voted this as the most important feature in their dream property.

This can understandably be traced to the number of break-ins and robberies which has been increasing in certain areas, so much so that many homeowners have now installed alarm and security systems.

Somewhat reflecting these findings, the gated and guarded feature has increasingly been seen as a key selling point for many projects. Round-the-clock security patrols, single entry and exit points, closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) throughout the development, perimeter fencing around the development and access cards give homeowners peace of mind.

Many often spend more than two hours every day stuck in traffic jams.

Criterion 2: Proximity to work

The factor voted as second most important, meanwhile, was a location that was near the workplace with “not much traffic jams in between”.

After all, most Malaysians spend more than two hours a day being stuck in traffic jams, one research paper has reported. And choosing a home near the work place not only saves time but also money and energy, while helping maintain the balance of work and social life.

The amount of time wasted on the road may after all be spent taking your children to the park, catching up with friends over dinner or working out at the gym.

Neighbours play an important role in shaping the neighbourhood.

Criterion 3: Friendly, good and trustworthy neighbours

The third most important factor that surprisingly ranked high among most respondents was having friendly and trustworthy neighbours.

Even though it is often said that many urban Malaysians today are not familiar with their neighbours, especially in condominiums, this criterion turned out to be very high in most Malaysian property hunters’ minds.

Of course, knowing your neighbours allows us to look out for one another in times of need. For example, if you know that Jason lives in house number 60, you would know if someone other than Jason and his family were loitering in front of his house.

Criterion 4: At least two parking spaces

Having a spacious car porch is able to minimise parking issues (right).

The respondents also agreed that having at least two parking spaces was important. The issue of parking is commonly faced by many homeowners, especially when many households these days own more than one car.

Other important factors included living within 10 minutes’ walking distance to amenities such as banks and the post office, as well as to mini markets and convenience stores.

Two respondents Soong and Wong shared that they would prefer a property with wider roads. Another respondent, Hee said a well-maintained neighbourhood is important.

“Another factor that wasn’t in the list is to have clinics and hospitals nearby your house. This is quite important for me,” said Gayathri, 30.

Least important factors

Surprisingly, two factors that hardly scored with our respondents were the company that developed the property, and having a broadband internet connection within your development. Only 2% of the respondents selected these factors as one of the criteria to define their perfect property.